SAN ANTONIO (Olympics/NBA) – As unusual as it may sound for San Antonio Spurs fans, the ankle injury that knocked Manu Ginobili out in the first quarter of Argentina’s Olympic semi-final against the United States was probably a blessing in disguise for the NBA team.
While the injury kept Argentina’s most dangerous player off the floor at the worst possible time in Beijing, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich freely admitted this week: “Had he not hurt it in the Olympics, he probably would have done it 15, 25, 35 games into the season.”
Popovich, who was speaking to the San Antonio Express Newspaper, added: “It could be a blessing that he's gotten operated on. They've gone in there and cleaned things out. His ankle will be in better shape than it's been in years, I would imagine.”
Popovich said that Ginobili, who originally hurt his ankle in last season’s NBA play-offs, would be out of action until mid-December at the latest.
The Argentina superstar has been told to walk with crutches. As for physical activity, Ginobili is allowed to lift weights and swim.
San Antonio’s promising French center Ian Mahinmi, meanwhile, is out of the first several days of training camp due to a sprained ankle.
Mahinmi spent the majority of last season in the NBDL. In 45 games with San Antonio’s development team, the Austin Toros, he averaged 17.1 points and 9.2 rebounds.
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